Half to orlando brown



3- sheetssheet 1.

o. NQGRANT@ 'ROLLER TOBOGGAN.

(No Model.)

N0. 513,570. Patented Jan. 30, 1894.

THE Ng'rlomu. uruoannrmua oouPANY.

(No Model.) 3 sneets-shee 2.

C. N. GRANT.

ROLLER TOBOGGAN.

No. 513,570. q Patented Jan. 30, 1894l mE NAnoNAL Lnnoeruvmna eoMPANv.

wAsHmaron. D. o,

(No Model.) s lsheets-snm 3.

C N GRANT ROLLER TOBOGGAN.

Patented Jan. 30

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'Nrrnn STAfrns CHARLES N.` GRANT, OF HAVERHILL,MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO ORLANDO BROWN, OF SAME PLACE.

ROLLER-.T QBOGGAQN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 513,570, dated January 30, 1,894.

Application tiled tober l0, 1892, -Serial No. 448,382. (No model.)

T @ZZ whom it' may concern: i

Be it known that I, CHARLES N.V` GRAN'nof Haverhill, in the county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roller-Toboggans, of which the following Vis Va description suffrciently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which said invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompany- .y ing drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation showing a portion of the trestle of my improved rollertoboggan-slide, illustrating the method of mounting the cable for conveying the cars on the incline; Fig. 2 an elevation enlarged showing the car attached to the cable; Fig.'8 a bottom planview of the car; Fig. 4L a front elevation of the same, the trestle being shown partly in section; Fig. 5 a cross-section ofthe car enlarged showing the operation of the cable clutch; and Fig. 6 a rear elevation looking from the left in Fig. 2.

Like letters and numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the diiferent ngures of the drawings.

My invention relates especially to an improvement in roller toboggan slides or roller coasters, such improvement being designed to facilitate the passage of the car at the inoline of the trestle or track, the object being to simplify the mechanism in ordinary use and obviate the necessity of employing elevators for returning the cars to the startingpoint whereby a continuous or endless track may be employed.

The nature and operation of the improvement will be readily understood by all conversant with such matters from the following explanation:

In the drawings, A represents the track considered as a whole, said track being mounted on a series of vertical supports,B, or any other suitable form or frame, and being provided with continuous series of inclines, b, b.

C represents the car which is adapted to travel on the track and descend the inclines by gravity, the ascent of said car on said inclinesbeing accomplished bymechanism hereinafter described and which constitutes particularly my invention.

eline, b2.

l .i Thetrack, A, has rails, d, upon which the trestle-work a'ratchet, g, shown in Figs. 2 and ,f

6, is mounted and is engaged by dogs, h, on the car, O, to prevent backward movement 0f the car in ascending the inclines should any of theactuating mechanism break.

rlhe car, C, is provided with verticallyrotating wheels, c', mounted in castings, j, and with .horizontally rotating wheels, lo, .journaled in the same castings and bearing against the guard-boards, f. This car may be of any suitable form and the wheels may be mounted in any suitable manner other than that described.

Centrally of the trestle-work between the rails on each incline,h2, there is arranged 4a series of grooved pulleys, m, m2, shown in Fig. l, thepulleys, m2, at the crest of the incline being of greater diameter than the pulleys, m. A shaft, p, journaled on the trestle .is driven by a belt, q, connecting with any suitable source of power. On said shaft there is a grooved pulley, fr, and at the crest of the incline there is a similar pulley, r2. Connecting said pulleys and passing over the pulleys, fm,ym2, and an idler, t, there is an endless wire cable, D, said cable moving centrally of the track from'v left to right, as viewed at the in- At the bottom of the incline, b2, there is a trip or striker, c, and a similar striker, c2, being located at the crest of' the incline. These strikers are parallel with, and adjacent the cable, D.

On the bottom of the car at its forward end there is a clutch mechanism for automatically and detachably securing the carto the cable. This clutch mechanism comprises a casting, w, bolted to the bottom of the car and provided with a socket, in which a detachable `wooden plug, y, (see Fig. 5,) is held by screws,

a'. A tongue, 15, is pivoted at, 16, to thecasting its outward movement being regulated by a stop, 17, on the car, and its inward movement by an adjustable stop, 18, shown in Fig. 3. Said tongue is pulled by a spring, 19, which normally holds it in alignment with the plug, y.

In the use of my improvement the car being loaded and presuming the point, 20, in

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soon as the car has advanced sufficiently forthe tongue, 15, to pass the striker, o, the spring,

19, throws said tongue outward and the cable is clutched thereby betweenit and saidblock fastening the car securely thereto. Said car is carried by the endless cable rapidly and steadily up the incline, b2. The clutch-mechanism; being above the level of the pulleys, m, m2and. the cable held securely therein, said cable is lifted andV held out of contact with each succeeding pulley as theA clutch mechanism passes it, represented in Fig. 6', so that there is nol contact between said mechanism; and pulleys, saidl pulleys acting solely as a support for theupper arm of the cable. I employ'wooden plugs in the sockets, as they can beareadily and cheaply replaced when worn,'and aiord a betterfrictional hold on thecable, particularly-when a wirefcableisemployed than does metal. The tongue-,may also be formed of wood if desired andsaid tongue; andl plug may be provided with grooves, 25, as shown inFig. 5,' tozreceive the cable, if preferred. As soon as the car reachesthecrestof; the incline, ash?, and a descent or-'level portion as b3, commences the second.` striker or, trip, o2, engagesthe tongue, 15, throwing itinward and, releasing. the ca'- ble-fromy said clutch.; the cable ,end-,ing atthe pulley, r2, at the: crest of.. thevl incline, b2, the car is; freed toibegin. the descent by gravity.

Itwillbe understood that :as manyinclines, as byfor the car to ascend may be employed in. they track' asl desired, the track` being.A endlessand terminating at the startingpoint,20. For eachof the ascents, as. b2, a cable, D,.is v

employed terminating, atv the-.crest off said ascent. Allof such cables-'maybe driven from one source of power and may be continuously connected by the intermediate pulleys said cables not being exposed in the track on any descent, as b3, as the impetus attained by the car on such descent is su'cient to drive it up a succeeding incline far enough to have theiirst striker, o, on such incline operate the clutch mechanism and attach the car to the corresponding cable. This method of actuating the cars greatly lessens the cost by obviating the necessity of using elevators to return the cars to the starting point from the end of the slide as is necessary when such slide terminates vertically below or above such starting-pointas-in an ordinary form of construction. Should the grip or clutchxfail to operateto attach the car toa .cable on as.- cending. the incline, the car will at oncef stop and beheld; by the dogs, h, in a ymanner which will be readily understood withoutiamore eX- plicity description.

It will be understood thatwhere .thejascents of, the track are so short that :the-impetus of the. car received from av preceding descent; is sufficient to drive it over said ascent the cable-1 mechanism` is omitted.

Having thus explained` my invention, what I claim is-f- The combina-tion wit-bacarl bodyof aztixed CHARLES N; GR'ANTI Vitnesses r O. M. SHAW K. DURFEE. 

